For a Reason
by dracmione
Summary: Hermione has left her old life behind her. She graduated top of her class at Hogwarts and now she's traveled to Australia to piece together her life. But a sudden meeting with a certain blonde haired Slytherin, will throw everything out of whack. She's determined to forget everything about the war, but he's determined to make it up to her. EWE. Set post Hogwarts.
1. The Beginning

_**Summary**:_ Hermione has left her old life behind her. She graduated top of her class in her eighth year of Hogwarts and she's traveled to Australia to piece together her life once more. But a sudden meeting with a certain blonde haired Slytherin, will throw everything out of whack. She's determined to forget everything about the war, move on and be happy with her new job and her parents memories back. He's determined to make up for everything he ever did to her. EWE DHR. Set Post-Hogwarts.

_**Disclaimer**_: I am not JKR I do not own the characters or the plot even really, but y'know, don't steal.

* * *

Some say that 90% of people are no longer associated with the people they used to call best friends. After reading up on it, most of the time these people become strangers after school, and the same could be said for Hermione Granger.

After the war, Hermione went back to Hogwarts to begin what they called "eighth year", leaving behind Harry, Ron and Ginny. Ron's argument was that Hermione was too focused on bettering herself; and her knowledge, than improving their withering relationship.

Hermione's argument was, how else was she supposed to get herself somewhere in life when she felt like there was living for someone else. She loved him, don't get her wrong, she adored Ronald Weasley. She had since she was 13 years old. But he didn't provide the stimulation that she needed. She would try to start arguments to get the feelings flowing, but in the end he would concede to her and grab a fire whiskey to drown out his sorrows. Hermione, on the other hand, would go back and cook dinner or make their beds. They hadn't slept in the same bed for months.

Harry on the other hand was busy planning a wedding, dealing with a slightly jealous fiancee, and getting used to the fact that he was the wizarding world's saviour. Hermione couldn't blame him for being preoccupied, but she needed her best friend and he couldn't be there for her, further fuelling her desire to go back to Hogwarts and graduate properly. It would be something to distract her from her loneliness.

And while Ginny was still Hermione's best female friend, the younger redhead did let her jealousy control her sharp tongue quite often. Neither Harry nor Hermione wanted to disclose what had happened during the war, due to the fact that it was too much for them to bear, and by telling someone they would be passing off that stressful experience to everyone else. Apparently this was a sore spot for Ginny, as she hissed hateful things to Hermione on occasion. Unfortunately, even though Hermione was used to being taunted and teased, it didn't mean that it didn't hurt her infinitely. There were days when Hermione would go back to her and Ron's apartment, cook dinner for the both of them and just crawl into bed crying.

She felt domesticated and lost. As a child, Hermione was certain that she'd one day become someone incredibly important to the wizarding world, and if not she'd have a big role in improving it. She often told her parents that she would never give up on her dreams for anything. Not for a boy, not for her friends (important as they were at the time, even they could not put a hold on her dreams), not for anything.

But somehow, she very nearly had. She nearly gave it all up to follow Harry and Ron. It took a very heated argument with Ginny, coming home to a drunk Ron expecting dinner, and a placid Harry who told her to just "deal with it", to make up her mind. A week after she made up her mind, two days before the summer ended, she packed her bags and left for the Leaky Cauldron.

She'd left a note for Ron on the table and had owled Harry and Ginny, letting them know where she was, that she was safe and that she needed to do this, for her. She needed to get away, maybe indefinitely, maybe not.

Shortly after arriving at the Leaky Cauldron she'd received two owls. One was an apology from Ginny. The tears marring the ink showed how clearly she was sorry, but it wasn't good enough. The other contained a picture. A wizarding picture of Ron ramming himself into some unrecognisable witch. Hermione felt a pang in her heart, for she had been in love with Ron for years, but she didn't feel the indescribable sadness she thought she would. The burning that signified tears never showed, and though she was sad, it really didn't bother her.

And that was the start of Hermione's new life. Two days later she left for Hogwarts to begin her eighth year.

* * *

During that year, Hermione really found herself. She found a different lot of friends, but didn't let them get too close. She kept them at an arms length so she could stay focused. She discovered that her passion for the care of magical creatures was still strong, but that her passion for the welfare of mistreated witches and wizards - particularly squibs - was stronger. She decided that she wanted to become a lawyer. Maybe a judge, but the word lawyer was prevalent in her mind.

Hermione aced her NEWTS with the highest score since Lily Potter, and graduated from Hogwarts with honours. She said goodbye to her temporary Hogwarts friends and jumped on a plane… to Australia. First she was going to find her parents and restore their memories. Then her life would truly begin.  
Little did she know however, a sneaky little snake was already based in Australia. He'd seen the error of his ways and had heard that Hermione's parents had been obliviated. He wanted to fix something that he felt that he had partly caused. He wanted to do something good to make up for not doing anything while she was being tortured. But he was stalling, he didn't want to ruin things and all it took was one little encounter to shake his entire life up.

* * *

**A/N: So I posted this ages and ages ago and I finally got the inspiration to edit and update it. I hope that you guys find this easier to read and I truly, truly hope you enjoy it because I'm a terrible writer and I desperately need an ego boost, yo. So R&amp;R peeps!  
**


	2. Naughty Words

_**Summary**:_ Hermione has left her old life behind her. She graduated top of her class in her eighth year of Hogwarts and she's traveled to Australia to piece together her life once more. But a sudden meeting with a certain blonde haired Slytherin, will throw everything out of whack. She's determined to forget everything about the war, move on and be happy with her new job and her parents memories back. He's determined to make up for everything he ever did to her. EWE DHR. Set Post-Hogwarts.

_**Disclaimer**_: I am not JKR I do not own the characters or the plot even really, but y'know, don't steal.

* * *

Draco Malfoy rubbed his sweaty palms on his neatly pressed pants. He'd been sitting on the small paisley print love seat for nearly half an hour and the nerves were getting to him. See, he was currently in the waiting room of Wilkins' dentil clinic; the Wilkins being Monica and Wendell, aka Richard and Jean Granger. Draco had become a regular in their metro Sydney clinic shortly after temporarily moving to Australia.

Just after the war, Draco had seen the error of his ways. He'd been gazing up at the ruined castle where he'd spent so much of his life, listening to the howling of grief mixed with cries of relief, when he'd had what he supposed was an epiphany. For most of his schooling he'd spent his summers and school breaks in the Manor surrounded by snotty rich nut jobs — and their kids — with a penchant for the murder of anyone less than pure blood; led by a half blood loon with daddy issues.

Draco had abhorred being a part of that life, but had no other option than to follow his fathers' footsteps, save losing his inheritance. Or even worse—his life. He couldn't count the amount of times his family's lives had been threatened, even if you gave him six extra pairs of hands _and_ feet. The way he saw it, he had no other option.

It still didn't excuse his rotten behaviour when he was at school, however much he felt it did. However, once the Dark Lord was dead, it was like he'd seen the light, cliche as that sounds. He no longer had to follow that path, associate with those people, keep the same outlook on life, etc. It was like a heavy stone being lifted off his lungs while underwater. He could breathe again. He could _live. _

As he strode past the death bodies strewn along the paths of the school, Death Eaters and pure bloods mingled with half bloods and muggle borns, he could see no difference between the blood of any of them. It was all vibrantly red and unnecessarily spilt.

He'd decided then and there, that he was going to make up for every rotten thing he had ever done up until that moment. It just took him a few months to really act on it. He started penning letters to those he had bullied during their time at Hogwarts, earning a few letters — cough, howlers — back; some angry, some forgiving. But there was one person for which a letter would not make the cut.

For many years Hermione Granger had been at the top of his mercilessly nasty radar. He'd sought her out in school, making jabs about her blood status, her appearance, her family; you name it, he said it. As a child he'd known how to twist his words like a knife to a persons heart. He knew the effect it had, he'd seen it in her eyes every time she threw an insult back.

Draco's mum had never understood why, when Draco came home from school, she was the one that he complained and bitched and whinged about. She'd often questioned him on it, even going as far to assume he had a crush on her. The best excuse he could ever come up with was her choice of friends, and her blood status.

Still, after everything he had done to her, a proper apology in person, with perhaps a pleasant surprise was on the cards when it came to Hermione Granger. Perhaps it would soften her up enough for her not to throw a hex at him. She was good at those.

And so, he'd come to the conclusion that the best way to make it up to her, would be to visit her parents and restore their memories. It had taken a few months of working up the courage, in which time Draco had become a regular patient at their clinic, where they now greeted him by name and asked him about his weeks, and discussed their own lives with him. He was trusted at this point. And it was at this point that he decided it was time to restore their memories. He knew there was a slight chance that they may not remember; memory charms are a complicated thing. If say something happened in which a witch or wizard or even muggle wanted to forget a particular moment in their personal history, and consequently got their memory erased, there is no way that they would ever remember. They were willing to forget. However sometimes, when a witch or wizard casting a temporary memory charm is too powerful, like in the case of Hermione Granger, there is a slight chance that the charm can be so strong that the person under the spell will never remember, no matter how many reversal spells or potions are used.

Even so, Draco Malfoy was going to do everything he could to make sure that Richard and Jean remembered their child, even if they couldn't remember their own identities, and today was the day. The previous week he'd magicked himself a cavity (courtesy of Fred and George Weasley's myriad of illness inducing spells and sweets), left it to worsen over the week, and booked his appointment for today. He'd cast a ward on the clinic to confuse and divert muggles, to save any disturbances. He'd let them fix his tooth (it really was becoming quite unbearable) and then he would cast every memory charm reversal spell he knew. Or it would go the other way round, depending. Or, he'd just mend his cavity on his own, y'know. Being a wizard is handy and all.

Then hopefully — if they remembered — sometime in the near future, either Richard and Jean would choose to go back to England to find Hermione, or she would come and find them. Either way, he'd be the saviour and be allowed his apology without being hexed or physically injured.

Draco sighed; the kind of sigh that told the world that he felt he had the world resting on his tired shoulders, just as Jean Granger (or Monica Wilkins, whatever floats your boat) came out of her office and summoned him in.

"Draco," she greeted him, a friendly smile gracing her pretty face.

"Hullo Monica, how are we today?" he asked, patting her shoulder as she led him into her space.

"Wonderful, thank you, dear." She motioned for him to take a seat opposite her desk, of which he obliged.

"Where's Rich - Wendell?"

"Right here, son. Heard about that cavity you've got. Nasty business cavities. You should lay off the sweets for a while eh, Draco?" The elder man said as he walked into his wife's office, shaking the patients hand and sitting in the office chair next to Draco.

"Right, those sweets pack some punch." Draco grunted, his hand cupping his aching jaw.

"Well, Mon will fix that right up for you now mate!" Richard said, getting to his feet. "Slow business today. Had five cancellations in ten minutes! I tell you, I don't know how I'm going to pay that mortgage if every day is like this. Anyway, I'm off to run some errands." Richard stood behind his wife, his hand on her shoulder as he smiled down at her. "I probably won't be back for a couple of hours, all right love?"

"While you're out dear, can you pick up some cinnamon. The Welch's will be over for dinner tomorrow and I'd like to impress with my bread and butter pudding," Jean requested, patting her husbands' hand affectionately.

Draco swore internally, floundering in his head for a way to get the elder man to stay. "Wait!" Shit! Bugger fuck it all! "You didn't let me tell you about this girl I fancy!"

_What the fuck are you doing you ponce!? _Draco cursed himself.

"Yeah, what's she like?"

"She's incredibly bright, smartest girl I ever met. We went to school together and caught up a while back. Very beautiful girl, very kind as well, very forgiving…" Draco nearly snorted at that last one. He'd unwittingly started describing Hermione in a desperate attempt to distract the married pair. "Yeah, wasn't the nicest bloke to her back in school. But sexual tension and the like, you know?"

Richard laughed and looked directly at his wife, "Yeah mate, we know!" And with that Richard started blathering on about how he and "Monica" met. While they regaled him with tales of a past that never existed, Draco pulled out his wand, careful to keep it hidden. He muttered a quiet _confundus_ for the both of them, making sure they were well and proper confused.

With Richard and Jean distracted, Draco stood up and approached both people, reciting the appropriate spells to reverse Hermione's memory charm. He sat back in his chair and muttered _Finite_ to rid them of their confusion. When they blinked blankly at him, he almost panicked that he'd screwed it up. He needn't have worried for in the next second Richard swore.

"Damn it Hermione!" Richard slammed his fist into the wall next to him.

"Richard dear, calm down. Hermione probably had a reason for her actions," she stood and placed a comforting hand on Richard's back, before turning back to look at Draco. "Thank you so much for restoring our memories. I'm sure I speak for both of us," she glanced at her fuming husband, "when I say that we will find a way to pay you back."

Draco nodded, pulling out his wand and pointing it to his mouth this time, muttering the counter curse to the blasted cavity spell. In all honesty, he wasn't worried about his mouth, but he was being careful not to look at the couple as they wept for their long lost daughter.

"She's alive. She's safe, and probably planning a trip here to do what I've just done as we speak. I just thought you needed to remember her," he mumbled.

"Please, there must be something we can do for you in return?"

"I don't think so, you've done plenty over the last few months. Consider us even," Draco waved his hand, dismissing their offer. He honestly felt relieved, but didn't feel as if he'd set anything right yet. He needed to confront Hermione before his mission was complete, and he wasn't sure how he was going to go about doing that at least.

But he needn't worry about that for that very moment, Hermione Granger was stepping off her plane and onto Sydney airports tarmac, a mobile phone in her hand as she dialled the number of her parents clinic.

Jean sighed as the phone started ringing, picking it up and answering it in a professional fashion; "Good morning, Wilkins Dental practice how my I help you?"

Richard and Draco watched as she pulled out an appointment book and wrote down the details she'd been given via the phone. Neither of them could quite believe that with what just happened, Jean was still playing Monica. They gaped at her with unhinged jaws as she hun up the phone.

"What was that?"

"That, dear, was a patient. We're dentists. We've always been dentists. Monica and Wendell Wilkins or not, we have a duty to this practice and a duty to our patients. Much as I miss our daughter, we can't just up and leave all this to find her," Jean said rationally.

"Darn right we can! That's our _daughter_ Jean! The daughter we didn't know we had for two years! She deserves to know that we remember her and love her!" Richard stormed, glaring at his wife for all he was worth.

"No, Richard, we can't. You mentioned earlier, we have a house mortgage to pay off! How are we going to pay it if we have no money, no patients and no practice? Hm?"

Draco had to admit that Jean had a point. "If you don't mind my butting in, I did go to school with Hermione and I know that she'd never abandon anyone, particularly not her parents. She's probably on her way right now to right things anyway," he interrupted.

"And how do you know that?" an unfamiliar voice squeaked. Draco's head whipped around, finding Hermione Granger standing in the door frame, looking weary and lost. In their arguing, they all three had missed the sound of someone entering.

But before he could answer her, she turned her attention to the other two people in the room, her eyes filling with tears of regret and happiness. "Mum, dad!" She croaked, launching herself at the couple. Soon the entire room was filled with the sound of sobbing. Draco saw this as his cue to leave, so the family could have some time to reunite and reacquaint themselves.

Nobody noticed when Draco Malfoy snuck out of the dentil practice, the people inside were still too busy crying and hugging.

Richard and Jean who hadn't seen their daughter in two years, and Hermione who hadn't had the love of a parent in the same amount of time. You could almost hear the sound of all of their hearts being stitched back together.

* * *

An hour later, Richard, Jean and Hermione were sitting in the waiting room of the dental practice, all nursing cups of coffee. Hermione took a deep breath, having just explained why she had erased her parents memories. They took the news well, but their concern for Hermione's wellbeing after such a horrendous war was overwhelming. They kept asking her to see a shrink or a doctor to make sure she didn't suffer from PTSD. Hermione knew she did, but she didn't bother telling her parents that. She told them she was fine. More than fine, in fact. Never better. And she wasn't lying. After living half her life in the shadows of war, to be free of the stress and fear, it was heaven.

Sure, she still had nightmares and woke at night screaming. She still saw blood and guts littering the floors of Hogwarts. Most of all she still saw what she thought would be her final moments, lying on the floor at Malfoy Manor at the mercy of Bellatrix Lestrange, as the Malfoy's watched on.

Speaking of the Malfoy's, Hermione had noticed Draco's disappearance not long after they'd sat down with their coffee. He'd stood in the midst of all the chaos and watched as she was tortured, and yet he'd been here to restore the memories of her parents. She just couldn't comprehend it.

"'Mione?" Richard called, having asked her a questing that she'd missed. "Did you know Draco was coming here?"

"No, not at all — I was under the impression he was wallowing in the loss of Voldemort in his manor." She spoke harshly. Her school days hatred not eager to move on.

"He's been such a sweet boy. We've had him over for tea a few times." Jean mused, looking pensively into her coffee. "You know dear, maybe you should give him a chance. I think he might have changed."

"Malfoy? Changed? Hah!" Hermione scoffed.

"Hermione Jean Granger, in the two years that we've not known you, do not tell me you've become heartless. That is not the way we raised you, young lady!"

Hermione looked sheepishly at her dad. "Sorry, Dad."

"Look Hermione, why don't you go look for him and thank him. I think he's got something to say to you. He wouldn't have come all this way to find you if he didn't." Jean approached her daughter and caught her in a side hug. Hermione buried herself in her mother's side, relishing the touch and smell of Jean, committing the moment to memory. She smiled at Jean and nodded. She was wary on the inside, but her parents had a point. The Draco Lucius Malfoy she'd known wouldn't have gone to such lengths for her. Something was different.

* * *

A loud pop sounded in Draco's suburban Sydney back garden. He looked up from his newspaper and saw — with a jolt — that Hermione Granger was standing on his back porch, her face set in a scowl that would rival his own. Sighing with trepidation, he set the newspaper down on the settee and stood, mentally giving himself encouragement to get through this as quick as possible.

He opened his back door, and silently gestured for her to come inside, moving aside when she walked past him, her head held high in a false show of confidence. He knew she was scared. He didn't blame her. He felt the exact same way, but for entirely different reasons. Closing his door, he turned to find her standing awkwardly just inside his kitchen.

"Please, follow me." Draco gestured for her to follow him into his living room, where he sat in his usual armchair. Hermione chose to sit as far away as physically possible, and for a good ten minutes they sat in awkward silence.

"I've wanted to apo—"

"Thank you for my par—"

Draco and Hermione looked at each other uncomfortably before each looking away. Draco cleared his throat and began again.

"I've been writing letters… recently…" he started. Hermione glanced up at him in confusion. "Letters to the people I hurt at Hogwarts.

"I've wanted to apologise for nearly two years, but a letter just doesn't seem like it would cut with you Granger. I wanted to do something to _prove_ how sorry I am."

"So stalking my parents and restoring the memories that _I _should have restored… _That__'__s_ your way of saying sorry?" She snapped, noting the wince that crossed Draco's face.

"I couldn't think of any other way that would work without you hexing me first, and I'm quite fond of all my body parts, thanks." Draco uttered drolly.

"Really? Because I thought you would look a lot better without an appendage or two," Hermione offered, not even bothering to mask the poison in her voice.

"Jesus, Granger! You're a bloody nutcase! Here I am trying to apologise for being a git in school and you're threatening my life! Are all mudblood's like this?" Draco stormed. He flinched when Hermione stood up in a hurry, realising his error. "Granger, look I didn't mean it. I'm sorry! Just — shit!"

"I knew the moment I saw you that you were doing things only for your benefit, trying to look good for the press right? Where are they hiding? In your coat closet? In your bathroom? Well, after that slip up, you've really fucked it up haven't you, Malfoy?" She spat. "I don't care what my parents said, you have not changed one bit from the ferrety git you were at Hogwarts!"

Draco cussed again as Hermione disapparated from the middle of his living room. He picked up a trinket that had been sitting on the end table next to his chair, and threw it at the wall for all he was worth. That did not go the way he had planned, but he'd be damned if he didn't fix things once and for all.

He was just lost for how to go about it.

* * *

**A/N: So here is the second chapter as promised. No promises about how fast the third chapter will come, but I'm seriously hoping I don't abandon this bc I really, really, _really_ want this to work out ok. R&amp;R because like I previously mentioned, I am a terrible writer and I need an ego boost! **


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